Ecology Habitable Planet Lab

Purpose:To examine the interrelationships between organisms in the environment.

Directions:
1. Read ALL Instructions and the introduction section BEFORE doing the lab.
2. Go to: http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/ecology/
3. Click on “Open Simulator”
4. Complete this document as you manipulate the simulation as directed.

Introduction:
Use the introduction of the simulation to complete the textual drag and drop.

Lesson 1: The Producers

Step 1 Challenge: Try to get two plant species to coexist.

Instructions:
1. Imagine the ecosystem is newly forming—the previous ecosystem has been destroyed
by fire or flood—and the first colonizers of the successive ecosystem are, of course,
producers.
2. Given the two fictitious species of plants in the simulator,
a. Predict what will happen to the population of each species at in this young
system and record your prediction in the Data Table.
b. Then run the simulator to 100 days and record the population numbers for both
plants.

Plant A Plant B

Predictions:
 Starting Population

Ending Population

c. Take a screenshot of the completed graph.

3. Answer the following:
a. Do you find one producer to be dominant? Why might one producer be dominant
over another?
b. Infer the implications this model is making in reference to dominant and co-
dominant plant organisms.
c. Without any herbivores what would the terrain look like?

Step 2 Challenge: Now you'll introduce an herbivore into the environment.

Instructions:
1. Click on herbivore A (the rabbit) and choose "eats plant A."
2. Predict and record what will happen to the population numbers in the ecosystem.

Plant A Plant B Herbivore A

Predictions:

Starting Population

Ending Population

3. Rerun the simulator and record your results.

4. Take a screenshot of the complete graph.
5. Answer the following:
a. Does adding the herbivore establish a more equal field?
b. Is one producer still dominant over the other?
c. Why might one producer be dominant over another?
d. How do producer population numbers with the presence of an herbivore compare
to the primary colonizer model?

Lesson 1 Review Questions:

1. How does this lab illustrate competition?
2. How does presence of a consumer allow the other species to survive?
3. The primary colonizers of an ecosystem, the producers, are also the harbingers of
primary succession. As these pioneer plants die and decay, they add organic material to
the soil, which, over time, will allow for secondary succession— generally larger and
more delicate producers such as trees.
a. How will the environment change when considering this secondary succession?
b. Assume that Plant A increases the acidity of the soil when it decays. How may
this affect succession?
Lesson 2: Food Web
Step 1 Challenge: Now that you have a sense for the interrelationships between the trophic
levels, see how big you can make your food web and still have all of the species you add
survive through the end of the simulation run.

Pre Step Question: Keeping the ideas of succession and the competitive exclusion principle in
mind, think of factors that may go into sustaining an ecosystem.

Instructions:
1. First you'll run a less than "real-life" scenario. Choose only one organism from each
trophic level and make sure that the food chain goes in a straight line from one trophic
level to the next.
a. Herbivore A eats Plant A
b. Omnivore A eats Herbivore A
c. The Top Predator eats Omnivore A
d. Let Plant B survive on its own and see what happens.
2. Predict:
a. Whether each species will survive
b. Whether it will increase or decrease in number
c. Whether Plant B will survive to the end
3. Record your prediction in the Data Table. Use X for "die out," ↑ for "increase in
numbers," and ↓ for "decrease in numbers."
4. Run the simulation twice and record the final population numbers of each species in
your data table. (Replication is a key factor in scientific experiments. You are running
your simulation multiple times to see if you get the same results each time. This allows
you to determine if the events you are seeing are really the way the natural world works
or if you need to do further investigations.)

Lesson 2: Step Plant A Herbivore A Omnivore A Top Predator

1 (X, ↑, or ↓)

Prediction

Simulation 1

Simulation 2

5. Take screenshots of both final graphs.

6. Answer the following:
a. Was your prediction correct?
b. How did you arrive at your prediction?
c. What differences were there between your prediction and the simulation?
d. What would happen to this imaginary ecosystem if the producers were to die
out?
e. Did any of the species increase in number? If so, which ones?
f. What could account for this increase?
g. Which species decreased in number and what might account for this decrease?
h. Which populations would benefit the most from the presence of decomposers?
Explain your answer.
 Step 2 Challenge: Now try a more "real-life" scenario and experiment with what might happen in
an ecosystem that is more like a web.

Instructions:
1. This time click the "all on" button. The model shows who eats whom and the paths by
which energy is transferred.
2. Predict which populations will die out, increase in numbers, or decrease in numbers and
record your predictions.
3. Run the simulation twice and record the results in your Data Table as you did in step 1.
Lesson 2
4. Then try to modify who eats whom in order to ensure the survival of all species and
record what was changed in your chart. (Modifications = change what each species
eats)

Step 2 (X, ↑, or ↓) Plant Plant Plant Herbivore Herbivore Herbivore Omnivore Omnivore Top
A B C A B C A B Predator

Prediction

Simulation 1

Modifications
(list modifications here)

1. Take a screenshot of your graph.

5. Answer the following:

a. Was your prediction correct?
b. How did you arrive at your prediction?
c. What differences were there between your prediction and the simulation?
d. Were you able to modify the parameters so that each species survived? Explain
how you decided what changes to make.
e. Which way does energy flow and how does eating an organism result in energy
transfer?

Lesson 2 Review Questions: Ecosystems have an extremely complex web of cause and effect.
Changing one connection or altering the population of any species within an ecosystem can
have dire, cascading effects on all others within that ecosystem. Given this consider the
following:
1. Which organisms, if any, were likely a keystone species in any of the simulations?
2. How do humans affect the greater food web?
3. Humans have inadvertently introduced non-native species into ecosystems. Using the
information from this lab, how may humans use an eco-friendly human model for
managing ecosystems?
4. In this model, how could humans who do not live in the ecosystem still manage to alter
the flow of energy within the web?
 Ecology Habitable Planet Lab

ANSWER KEY

Purpose: To examine the interrelationships between organisms in the

environment.
Directions:
1. Read ALL Instructions and the introduction section BEFORE doing the lab.
2. Go to: http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/ecology/
3. Click on “Open Simulator”
4. Complete this document as you manipulate the simulation as directed.

Introduction:
Use the introduction of the simulation to complete the textual drag and drop.

Lesson 1: The Producers

Step 1 Challenge: Try to get two plant species to coexist.

Instructions:
1. Imagine the ecosystem is newly forming—the previous ecosystem has been destroyed
by fire or flood—and the first colonizers of the successive ecosystem are, of course,
producers.
2. Given the two fictitious species of plants in the simulator,
a. Predict what will happen to the population of each species at in this young system and
record your prediction in the Data Table.
b. Then run the simulator to 100 days and record the population numbers for both plants.

Plant A Plant B

Predictions: Answers will vary Answers will vary

Starting Population 5000 5000

 Ending Population 10000 0

a. Take a screenshot of the completed graph.

1. Answer the following:

a. Do you find one producer to be dominant? Why might one producer be
dominant over another?
Answers will vary…
Plant A was the dominant species. It could be dominant due to it being hardier,
reproduce faster, tolerant to the conditions, or being able to survive on more
limited resources.

a. Infer the implications this model is making in reference to dominant and co-
dominant plant organisms.
There isn’t a codominance. One species will thrive while the other dies out
without any other organisms in the community.

a. Without any herbivores what would the terrain look like?

Overrun by plants

Step 2 Challenge: Now you'll introduce an herbivore into the environment.

Instructions:
1. Click on herbivore A (the rabbit) and choose "eats plant A."
2. Predict and record what will happen to the population numbers in the ecosystem.

Plant A Plant B Herbivore A

Predictions: Answers will vary Answers will vary Answers will vary

Starting Population 5000 5000 1000

Ending Population 3335 4998 2055

1. Rerun the simulator and record your results.

1. Take a screenshot of the complete graph.
1. Answer the following:
1. Does adding the herbivore establish a more equal field?
Yes
1. Is one producer still dominant over the other?
Yes, one population does have a higher population growth however, it does not
fully outcompete plant B.
1. Why might one producer be dominant over another?
Answers will vary… Producers have many adaptations that will allow them to
acquire resources more efficiently as well as protect them from herbivores.
1. How do producer population numbers with the presence of an herbivore compare
to the primary colonizer model?
It’s more balanced

Lesson 1 Review Questions:

1. How does this lab illustrate competition?
By demonstrating plant interaction without the balancing factor of the herbivore.
1. How does the presence of a consumer allow the other species to survive?
It helps regulate the population so separate plant adaptations reduces competitiveness.
1. The primary colonizers of an ecosystem, the producers, are also the harbingers of primary
succession. As these pioneer plants die and decay, they add organic material to the soil,
which, over time, will allow for secondary succession— generally larger and more delicate
producers such as trees.
a. How will the environment change when considering this secondary
succession?
There will be increased biodiversity and more varied terrain with less erosion.
a. Assume that Plant A increases the acidity of the soil when it decays. How
may this affect succession?

Only plants adapted to acidic soil will be able to survive.

Lesson 2: Food Web

Step 1 Challenge: Now that you have a sense for the interrelationships between the trophic
levels, see how big you can make your food web and still have all of the species you add
survive through the end of the simulation run.
Pre Step Question: Keeping the ideas of succession and the competitive exclusion principle in
mind, think of factors that may go into sustaining an ecosystem.

Instructions:
1. First, you'll run a less than "real-life" scenario. Choose only one organism from each
trophic level and make sure that the food chain goes in a straight line from one trophic
level to the next.
Predict:
a. Whether each species will survive
b. Whether it will increase or decrease in number
Whether Plant B will survive to the end

Simulation 1
a. Herbivore A eats Plant A
b. Omnivore A eats Herbivore A
c. The Top Predator eats Omnivore A
d. Let Plant B survive on its own and see what happens.
e.
Simulation 2
a. Herbivore B eats Plant B
b. Omnivore B eats Herbivore B
c. The Top Predator eats Omnivore B
d. Let Plant A survive on its own and see what happens.

2. Record your prediction in the Data Table. Use X for "die out," ↑ for "increase in
numbers," and ↓ for "decrease in numbers."
3. Run the simulation twice and record the final population numbers of each species in
your data table. (Replication is a key factor in scientific experiments. You are running
your simulation multiple times to see if you get the same results each time. This allows
you to determine if the events you are seeing are really the way the natural world works
or if you need to do further investigations.)

Lesson 2: Step 1 (X, ↑, or ↓) Plant A Herbivore A Omnivore A Top Predator

Prediction Answers will Answers will Answers will Answers will

vary vary vary vary

Simulation 1 (↓) (↑) (↓) (↓)

Simulation 2 (↑) (↓) (↓) (↓)

1. Take screenshots of both final graphs.

1. Answer the following:
a. Was your prediction correct? Answers will vary
b. How did you arrive at your prediction? Answers will vary, look for understanding based
on previous simulations. For example, knowing plant A was dominant or herbivore
keep plant A population in control.
c. What differences were there between your prediction and the simulation?Answers will vary
d. What would happen to this imaginary ecosystem if the producers were to die out? The
entire ecosystem would collapse
e. Did any of the species increase in number? If so, which ones? The herbivore in simulation
1, just Plant A in simulation 2.
f. In reference to simulation 1, what could account for this increase? The herbivore
increased due to available food resource.
g. In reference to simulation 1, which species decreased in number and what might account for
this decrease? Plant A decreased in number as it was the only available food source
for herbivore A. Omnivore A adjusted and decreased to the number of herbivores
available to support its population and so the top predator adjusted to the number of
omnivores available to support its population.
h. Which populations would benefit the most from the presence of decomposers? Explain your
answer. The plant populations because there would be more nutrients in the soil
allowing for more plant growth.

Step 2 Challenge: Now try a more "real-life" scenario and experiment with what might happen in
an ecosystem that is more like a web.

Instructions:
1. This time click the "all on" button. The model shows who eats whom and the paths by
which energy is transferred.
2. Predict which populations will die out, increase in numbers, or decrease in numbers and
record your predictions.
 3. Run the simulation and record the results in your Data Table as you did in step 1.
Lesson 2
4. Then try to modify who eats whom in order to ensure the survival of all species and
record what was changed in your chart. (Modifications = change what each species
eats)

Step 2 (X, ↑, or ↓) Plant Plant Plant Herbivore Herbivore Herbivore Omnivore Omnivore Top
A B C A B C A B Predator
Answers Answers Answers Answers will Answers will Answers will vary Answers will Answers will Answers will
Prediction will vary will vary will vary vary vary vary vary vary

Simulation 1 (↓) (↓) (X) (↓) (↓) (↓) (X) (X) (↑)
Answers Answers Answers Answers will Answers will Answers will vary Answers will Answers will Answers will
Modifications will vary will vary will vary vary vary vary vary vary

(list modifications here)

2. Take a screenshot of your graph.

1. Answer the following:

a. Was your prediction correct? Answers will vary
b. How did you arrive at your prediction? Answers will vary
c. What differences were there between your prediction and the simulation? Answers will
vary
d. Were you able to modify the parameters so that each species survived? Explain how you
decided what changes to make.Answers will vary, I have yet to get each species to
survive.
e. Which way does energy flow and how does eating an organism result in energy transfer?
The energy flows from the producers up to the top predator. Energy flows linearly,
unlike carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen which flows cyclically. The energy contained
within each organism is transferred into the consumer that eats the organism. Most
of the energy is lost through heat which would then require a large quantity of
individuals to support the next level.

Lesson 2 Review Questions: Ecosystems have an extremely complex web of cause and effect.
Changing one connection or altering the population of any species within an ecosystem can
have dire, cascading effects on all others within that ecosystem. Given this consider the
following:
1. Which organisms, if any, were likely a keystone species in any of the simulations?
Answers may vary but look for understanding of the concepts...
-Herbivores keep the dominant plant A species in check.
-Carnivores maintain the population growth of herbivores and/or omnivores.
2. How do humans affect the greater food web? Humans affect the greater food web
optimistically through hunting, urbanization, using resources, and through
manufacturing and agriculture. Humans are more likely to over-consume thus
depleting fundamental resources.
3. Humans have inadvertently introduced non-native species into ecosystems. Using the
information from this lab, how may humans use an eco-friendly human model for
managing ecosystems?
Use only native species. Identify keystone species and protent or reintroduce
these keystone species into the community.
4. In this model, how could humans who do not live in the ecosystem still manage to alter
the flow of energy within the web? Through carbon emissions that alter atmospheric
chemistry as well as water pH.